


Bittersweet reunion (minus the sweet)

by Grand_King



Series: Chronicles of Jupeter [2]
Category: The Penumbra Podcast
Genre: Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Juno Steel Needs a Hug, Junoverse | Juno Steel Universe, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Rita & Juno Steel Friendship, Rita Appreciation (Penumbra Podcast), Rita is a Good Friend (Penumbra Podcast), Tags May Change, not beta read we die like men
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-16
Updated: 2020-05-16
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:06:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,707
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24212596
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Grand_King/pseuds/Grand_King
Summary: Juno Steel has agreed to join Buddy Aurinko's space crime family. With old wounds ripped open to bleed him dry, Juno is just trying to survive.Hyperion City left him with answers to questions he has asked himself for years, he is finally healing. But healing isn't linear.Featuring: Rita being a good friend. That's it. That's the whole fic.
Relationships: Peter Nureyev/Juno Steel, Rita & Juno Steel
Series: Chronicles of Jupeter [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1747603
Comments: 4
Kudos: 44





	Bittersweet reunion (minus the sweet)

Juno had been through  _ hell _ in the last few months, between trying to confront his lingering feelings for Peter Nureyev, dealing with his cybernetic puppet eye, betrayal and an unexpected wave of repressed trauma, he was pretty fucking tired.

Not to mention  _ Big Guy,  _ Jet Siquliac, telling him he was worth less than Rita, which yeah okay it’s true but  _ still _ . Juno just wanted to lose himself in the bottles of liquor stashed in his suitcase and sleep for  _ at least  _ 12 hours.

Of course life had a very different plan.

There he was, choking on dust and probably suffering slightly more radiation poisoning than his body could handle, staring at Peter Nureyev.

The thief was perched on the hood of the Ruby 7, the engine still running, at the entrance of Buddy Aurinko’s ship.

“Hello Juno. It’s been a while.” Nureyev smiled like he had not a single care in the world, his fox’s teeth on full display.

Juno’s heart dropped. Anxiety bubbled in his stomach and he faltered for what to say. It was clear that Nureyev was at peace on the ship, that he had made a home with Buddy and Vespa, in the stars. Juno didn’t know what to do. Did they all already know what he had done? Did Peter already tell everyone about their history? What if he didn’t want Juno there? Would Buddy leave him behind?

“Agent Glass!” Rita shouted, storming up to where Nureyev was sliding off the Ruby 7 far too gracefully. “We didn’t know you was gonna be here!” She had her hands on her hips, and a gare set deeply on her features.

“Ah, Ms-”

“RITA. It’s Rita. Just Rita.”

“Ms Rita, I wasn’t aware that you and detective Steel would be joining us until today.” He spared a glance at Juno, but the ex-detective could never hope to decipher the emotions he was conveying. “And it’s Ransom now, Peter Ransom.” He swept past Rita and the rest of the crew, disappearing into the belly of the ship.

_ Ransom. Peter Ransom. That was his name when he and Mag- _

“Steel, get inside. We need to move.” Vespa called, her voice less than friendly.

“Right. Sorry.” He followed them inside.  _ Guess I’ll have to unpack all of that later. _ He thought, as he was led on a tour of the ship.

Buddy was leading him and Rita along a winding labyrinth of corridors and rooms.

“So down this wing we have a bathroom. Juno, your room is on the left and Ransom’s room is just across from yours. At the end of the hall is the rear observation room and our storage area. You both have fifteen minutes to unpack and get familiar with the ship, we have a team briefing in the kitchen that I’d like to get done tonight.” And then she was off, followed by a chattering Rita.

And Juno was alone.

He unpacked his clothes, though there weren't a whole lot of them, stashing bottles of alcohol into jacket linings and in the backs of drawers. Places Rita wouldn’t find them if she came in for a visit. He placed a photo of him and Benzaiten on his dresser; a photo of him, Mick and Sasha found its way onto the small bookshelf he had been given. The rest of the shelves were filled with miscellaneous objects, a music player and discs, makeup, knick knacks, an odd book here and there, one of Ben’s dance trophies stood proudly beside Juno’s martial arts trophies. It wasn’t much, but Juno had never fully grasped the concept of home anyway.

_ I should have stayed on Mars. _

It didn’t take long for Juno to find the kitchen but he was still the last person to arrive.

“How nice of you to finally join us, darling.” Buddy said in lieu of a proper greeting. She was standing at the head of the table, everyone else was seated. There were two free seats. One, Buddy was standing directly behind. The other, between Nureyev and Jet.  _ Oh joy. _ Juno took his seat with a mumbled apology. Vespa was glaring at him.

Juno shrunk in on himself, his fingers picking away at his nails. He wasn’t even listening to the meeting.

_ I’m already screwing everything up. I’m dead weight. I don’t belong here. I should have stayed on Mars. How am I already screwing this up so bad? _

**_You ruin everything, Little Monster_ **

**_You’re a complete fuck up, Juno!_ **

**_This is your fault, you know?_ **

**_...I thought he was you._ **

“-no? Juno!” Nureyev’s hand was on his shoulder, shaking him slightly. He panicked, jerking away and making his chair fall backwards. Juno went with it. He made an alarmed sound, skittering back from the fallen chair and staring at his crew-mates with wide eyes. They stared back, unsure what to do.

“Juno,  _ please _ try not to zone out during briefings. This is important information that could be the difference between life and death on our next heist.” Buddy sighed, turning back to the documents laid out in front of her. Everyone slowly turned away from the detective on the floor, and Juno slowly made his way back to the table. He kept his hands clenched in his pockets to hide their shaking, and tried to keep his breathing even and calm. From the glances Nureyev was sending him, it was not working.

“-and Steel, you’re on kitchen duty. Rita says you’re a good cook and you’re the only one who doesn’t actually  _ have a role _ on the crew.” Vespa said, levelling Juno with a rather sour look. “Try not to poison us.” She added, which made Buddy sigh again.

_ You don’t belong here. _ Her subtext was heard loud and clear.  _ If it wasn’t for Rita and Ransom, you wouldn't be here. _

“Of course, though I’m not sure Rita is the best critic in the world. What with her salmon puffs and  _ other  _ snacks.” Juno smiled, though his teeth were probably slightly too clenched for it to look genuine. Rita’s indignant protest was enough for him to crack a real smile though, if only for a moment.

**_Wow, Super Steel! This is delicious! Thanks for dinner!_ **

**_I need an extra snack, I have dance practice tonight. Can you make those cute mini sandwiches again?_ **

**_You don’t need to cook for him, I’m your fucking mother, okay?_ **

**Then act like it.**

**_Don’t you dare talk to me like that, Little Monster._ **

Juno did not like cooking. He could cook, he was good at it. When you had a mother who would only go grocery shopping every two months or more, you got good at making something out of nothing and making whatever you did have last. You also got good at stealing, and good at pretending not to be hungry while your twin watched you cook the last packet of noodles in the house.

“What time do you want me to have meals ready by?” His voice was resigned, tired.

“Oh,breakfast at 9:00, lunch at 12:30 and dinner at 6:30? Give or take. You tell us. Our ship runs on standard Martian hours for now.” Buddy replied, shuffling her notes together. “If nobody else has any questions, the meeting is adjourned.” Juno had several questions, though he didn’t particularly want to ask them.

He was the first one out of the room. He didn’t wait for anyone to reply to Buddy, he was just gone. He stopped by his room, grabbed a bottle of fancy martian whiskey that he had been gifted after a rough case, and made his way to the rear observation room.

There was a huge window that looked out into the endless void of space. Juno could still see Mars, growing smaller and smaller by the second.

Juno found a small alcove between crates of supplies, he folded himself up into the space and stared out the window into the great expanse of the universe.

He must have been sitting there for at least an hour, the bottle was almost empty, when he heard the door slide open.

“Mistah Steel? Are you in here?” Rita’s voice was cautious, too soft. Juno curled up tighter and didn’t respond. “Boss? I already checked everywhere else. I know you gotta be in here.” Her voice was moving, getting closer.

“I’m just trying to get some damn peace and quiet, Rita!” Juno snapped, watching as she shuffled in front of him. She crossed her arms and crouched down in front of him.

“Now Boss, I know you ain’t taking that tone with  _ me _ , but I don’t see any other Rita’s in here.” She huffed, gently taking the bottle from his fingers.

“I’m sorry, Rita. I’m just-” He sighed, shoulders dropping. “Can I stay with you tonight? I don’t want- I can’t be alone.” He hated how weak his voice sounded, but Rita just smiled and helped him up.

“Course you can, Boss! We’ll have a little ladies night, just us.” She led him to his room and waited outside for him to get changed.

“Rita, dear? What are you doing outside Detective Steel’s room?” Nureyev walked out of the bathroom, a red silk robe tied loosely over his freshly showered form.

“That ain’t any of your business, Mr Agent Rex Peter Glass Ransom. That’s between me an’ the boss.” She stood defensively, arms crossed and a glaring.

“Ah, of course. Though I do believe, technically, that Captain Aurinko is actually your boss now.” Peter replied, smirking. His gaze flicked curiously to Juno’s door. “I was hoping to speak with the detective tonight.” He said.

“Well too bad, Mistah Steel and I got plans. And he won’t ever stop bein’ my boss. He couldn’t if he tried.” Rita retorted, taking a step towards Peter. The thief’s gaze wasn’t on her though, not anymore.

“God knows I’ve tried.” Juno said, linking arms with Rita. He shifted uncomfortably under Peter’s intense stare. “C’mon, Rita. I know you’re just  _ dying _ to watch the finale of ‘Sharks in Space: Princess Warrior Origins.’ before Franny calls to chat about it.” The two of them walked away without a second glance at the thief.

(Juno turned around, but Nureyev had already retreated to his own room.)


End file.
